Pol Pot
"The Khmer Rouge was a band of guerrilla fighters. Guerrilla tactics will always beat the traditional army." - Jonathan Khan, Pol Pot Weapons Expert. Pol Pot, the ruthless Cambodian dictator whose Khmer Rouge guerillas committed genocide on a quarter of the country's population; Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi tyrant whose Republican Guard not only slaughtered his enemies, but his own people. Stats *Age: 50 (in 1975) *Height: 5'9" *Weight: 195 lbs. *Reign of Terror: 1975-1979 *Symbol: Skulls of the Killing Fields History Leader of the Cambodian Communist movement Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot (Real Name Saloth Sar) was one of the most ruthless and vicious dictators in modern history. Nearly 1.7 million people (1/4 of Cambodia) died from Khmer Rouge policies during Pol Pot's reign of terror in Cambodia. The eighth of nine children, he was born in 1925 in Prek Sbauv in Kampong Thom Province during French colonial rule. After receiving a government scholarship to study abroad in Paris, Pol Pot spent most of his time being active in a communist party rather than studying. A year after he returned to Cambodia in 1954, Cambodia won its independence from France and this is when Pol Pot started getting involved with the Khmer People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP), the first Communist party in Cambodia. Durring the Vietnam War, the USA army attempted to pull out of Vietnam. However Henry Kissinger and President Richard Nixon hid plans from Congress for a US led bombing of Cambodia: despite Cambodia officially declaring itself to be neutral in the Vietnam War (even after the bombings). The USA invaded Cambodia between 29 April – 22 July 1970 to target the Ho Chi Minh trail of the Viet Cong. Thousands of Cambodian citizens were killed or fled to the cities, making the Khmer Republic (who supported the USA) extremely unpopular and the Khmer Rouge rebels more popular. In the longterm; the campaign was a disaster as Anti-Vietnam War protests escalated in the USA; with multiple incidents of police shooting and killing protesters across multiple college campuses (with Kent State Ohio being the most noticeable). The Khmer Rouge meanwhile were seen as a government that could replace the Khmer Republic; which did very little to compensate Cambodians for allowing the illegal US invasion. The Fall of Phnom Penh was on 17 April 1975. Pot rose to power to become Prime Minster. However many Cambodians were unaware of the end of the war due to Khmer Rouge propaganda. Pol Pot exploited this by lying about the USA returning to launch a new bombing campaign. This led to a massive death march across the nation; leading to the capital Phnom Penh being mostly depopulated (as it was seen as western modernization, which the Khmer Rouge strictly opposed and outlawed). It was common for civilians to be bound to each other by a simple string, which if it broke, would result in execution for the 'criminal'. Feeling that Cambodia was overpopulated, Pol Pot ordered hundreds of thousands to dig their own graves in shackles. Pot's targets were those who were religious, minorities, and western-influenced. Along with other irrational laws, famine and execution as a punishment for common crimes, the Khmer Rouge launched a genocide that killed 1-3 million in only 4 years. Despite the Khmer Rouge being allied with Vietnam in the Vietnam War, Pol Pot's paranoia made him believe that the Vietnamese were planning to invade Cambodia. Tensions rose between these two communist nations as the Khmer Rouge launched racist purges of those not of Khmer race. The Khmer Rouge invaded Vietnam and launched the Ba Chuc Massacre on April 18, 1978, killing thousands of Vietnamese. A month later, Pol Pot demanded his people to, "Purge 50 million Vietnamese... and purify the masses of the Cambodian people." In 1979 Vietnam invaded Cambodia in response to the massacres: leading to The Invasion of Kampuchea. Pol Pot did not consider using tactics to prevent the invasion; instead delusion-ally overestimating the capabilities of his soldiers, despite being significantly outnumbered. The condition of both the Cambodian army and nation were crippled by the severity of the genocide and the Khmer Rouge's extreme policies against modernization. The Vietnamese, well experienced from the Vietnam War, were able to charge into Cambodia by using the highways to maintain a quick victory. In the first 2 weeks into the war, he fled to the jungles in southwest Cambodia and Khmer Rouge's power plummeted as Vietnam won the conventional war and installed a new puppet government. While the Khmer Rouge was reduced to a terrorist group, the United States, China, Thailand and other enemies of Vietnam secretly funded the Khmer Rouge, hoping to remove Vietnam from Cambodia and returning Pol Pot as the leader of Cambodia and the UN denied aid to Cambodia under Vietnamese control. Pol Pot was funded greatly, his Khmer Rouge keeping their strength of 10s of thousands for many years and was promised that his war crimes would not be tried by international law. However in the 1990s, the crimes of the Khmer Rouge were becoming more visible and communism was already losing popularity world wide, so the Khmer Rouge lost its international support. In 1993, Vietnam left Cambodia and the old monarchy of Cambodia was revived. Without the Vietnamese there, the US, Thailand and China had no reason to support the Khmer Rouge anymore. In 1995, a stroke crippled Pol Pot's left side of his body. Around the same time, many Khmer Rouge started deserting along with other Khmer Rouge leaders, yet Pol Pot refused to declare peace with the new Cambodian government. In 1997, the Khmer Rouge's leaders were dividing the organization, making Pol Pot massacre his former members like Son Sen. Other Khmer Rouge leaders began fighting each other, leading Pol Pot to be arrested by Khmer Rouge leader Ta Mok on June 19, 1997. Now a prisoner of his Khmer Rouge for the murder of Son Sen and Sen's family, the rebels allowed Pol Pot to be put on trial for his war crimes by the official government of Cambodia (The Kingdom of Cambodia). In 1998, just before he was about to be turned over to an international tribunal to be tried for his devious crimes, he passed away due to heart failure. It seems like Pol Pot's own motto "To keep you is no benefit. To destroy you is no loss." served him well in the end – his loss was a nation's benefit. Cambodia is still feeling the effects of the Khmer Rouge genocide and Cambodian-Vietnamaese War today. The nation is still financially damaged from the Khmer Rouge reign, there are very few educated elites as many were killed in the genocide and Cambodia has one of the largest amount of active landmines of any nation. It is considered to be one of the poorest nations in the world. Hun Sen has been the Prime Minister of Cambodia from 1985–1993 and 1998-today. While not as infamous as Pol Pot: Hun Sen is still considered to be an authoritarian dictator who maintains power by manipulating elections and repressing human rights. This has further weakened Cambodia's recovery from wars and genocide. Weapons X-Factors Dominance: 75 (While his Khmer Rouge were poor and received little training, they were well devoted to their cause. Pol Pot's savage killer instinct and violent Khmer Rouge allowed him to remain aggressive. Pol Pot had control of his Khmer Rouge for about 30 years, until in the 1990s when the Khmer Rouge was falling apart and there was internal fighting among the faction. Only when Pol Pot was killing other respected leaders like Son Sen did other Khmer Rouge finally betrayed and arrested him.) Training: 53 (due to a poor economy, underage rebellion soldiers and using weapons more for genocide than fighting) Psychological Health: 27 Initiative: 83 (His Chinese stick grenade packed higher explosive payload and was more reliable compared to Saddam Hussein's RGD-5 grenade, giving him an edge when starting an assault with grenade charges, especially when assaulting a structure during urban combat.) Killer Instinct: 89 (for even teaching kids who have just reached puberty—the Khmer Rouge were 16 year old in average—to fight with firearms, for mercilessly killing anyone who he saw as an obstacle in the way of what he envisioned as the perfect society and for leading the Cambodian genocide) Simulated Battle Saddam Hussein Pol Pot Inside a war-torn Iraqi city, Saddam Hussein sits in his office looking over paperwork while 3 Republican Guard soldiers stand watch outside his building at a checkpoint. Outside, 4 armed Khmer Rouge soldiers run in, hiding behind building and pillar cover. One Khmer Rouge takes out his stick grenade and lobs it at the guardhouse. The grenade explodes, killing two soldiers and knocking down the third, who quickly recovers. Both Hussein and his bodyguard are alerted to explosion as they both exit the office to see the commotion. Back outside, a firefight starts between the last Republican guard and the Khmer Rouge rebels. The Iraqi soldier, who has taken refuge in the doorway of the office building, takes his RGD-5 grenade and lobs it to the pillars, killing at least one Cambodian insurgent and stunning another to his knees. Both Hussein and his bodyguard burst from a second-story balcony and join the fray, shooting and killing the Khmer Rouge before he can get back to his feet. The bodyguard stops for a minute to reload a fresh magazine into his RPK machine gun as Pol Pot enters the scene and takes the dead rebel's RPD machine gun and fires at the balcony. Under heavy fire and out gunned, Saddam calls for a retreat as he, his bodyguard, and the last checkpoint guard fall back inside the building. Pol Pot gives the RPD to one of his soldiers. Pol Pot and his remaining Khmer Rouge cross the street and are about to raid the building when Saddam's motorcade comes veering around the corner. Pol Pot and two of his men quickly head him off and fire on the automobile, with Pol Pot's Tokarev shooting the driver in the face and killing him.file:reddead.png The Khmer Rouge forces dive out of the way as the motorcade speeds ahead uncontrollably and crashes into the side of a house. Saddam and his bodyguard quickly exit the vehicle as one Khmer Rouge rebel fires at it with his RPD, shooting the gas tank and exploding the vehicle. The three Khmer Rouge are knocked down by the blast, but because of their cover, are unharmed. The Khmer Rouge moves in with his gun raised, inspecting the flaming wreckage to see the driver and his mortal wound. The last Republican Guard pops out of the doorway of the building he entered and fires at the rebel, forcing him to regroup behind cover with Pol Pot and the other rebel, who return fire. The RPD Khmer Rouge stands up to fire at the guard, but is shot down by Saddam who emerges from the second-story window, firing his Browning pistol. file:bluedead.png Saddam's bodyguard finishes the last of his RPK ammo and quickly draws his Browning while withdrawing into the safety of the building. Pol Pot and his remaining soldier then move on to the building, Tokarevs at the ready with Pol Pot quickly pointing his upward and shooting. In the alley behind the building, the bodyguard waits for the Khmer Rouge forces to show themselves. The Khmer Rouge rebel soon enters the alley and engages the bodyguard, but Pol Pot quickly puts him down from behind with a strike from his cane knife. file:reddead.png Pot then motions for the rebel to move into the house while Pot frees his knife from the dead guard's back. The rebel moves into the house, but sees nothing. He motions for the Khmer Rouge leader to come in, but is soon attacked from behind by The Butcher of Baghdad, who stabs his combat knife through the front of his chest.file:bluedead.png Pol Pot empties the rest of his Tokarev ammo at Saddam as he drags the dead rebel inside. He drops his Tokarev on the ground and cautiously enters the building, holding his cane knife. Through a window, he sees Saddam standing behind a wall with only his left arm visible. Pol Pot makes his move and rounds the corner, swinging his cane knife into the dictator's neck. However, he realizes he has cut into the throat of his dead comrade too late when when the real Saddam comes in to his side, wearing an undershirt. Hussein raises his Browning to the Khmer Rouge leader's head, taunts him by saying This is a weapon... in Arabic, and pulls the trigger. file:bluedead.png After Pol Pot drops out of view, Saddam Hussein raises his gun in the air and shouts "Allahu Akbar!" (God is greatest) in victory. Trivia *The show has Pol Pot's reign as 1975-1979, which was when the Khmer Rouge were the official government of Cambodia. The group formed in 1968 as response to the Vietnam War. After being removed from power during the Cambodian-Vietnamese War, the Khmer Rouge continued to exist as a terrorist group. Although removed from control, the UN still recognized the Khmer Rouge as the official government until 1993, with many allies of Pol Pot ignoring the genocide. The Khmer Rouge dissolved in December 1999 (a year after Pol Pot's death), though many former Khmer Rouge soldiers are members of the police and military today due to their experience. It is believed Khmer Rouge who committed war crimes have not been punished for their crimes, although many key leaders such as Nuon Chea, Pol Pot’s right hand man are incarcerated. Many Khmer Rouge separated into a new political group called Democratic National Union Movement in 1996. *At 16 years old on average, the Khmer Rouge are the youngest warriors. However, at 50 years old, Pol Pot is tied with Saddam as the oldest warrior. This is also the only fight where both warriors were the same age. *Since he sought to remake history in his own image, Pol Pot's Psychological Health X-Factor was ranked at 27 out of 100, the lowest number for any confirmed X Factor in a nonfictional warrior. *Available for viewing on the official Deadliest Warrior website are cut tests examining the combatants' preferred methods of torture: Pol Pot's electrocution torture and Saddam Hussein's chemical bath. *The Viet Cong, another communist warrior, assisted the Khmer Rouge during the Vietnam War until Cambodia was captured by Pol Pot. However border conflicts and tensions between the nations appeared after the end of the Vietnam War. In late 1978 the Vietnamese saw the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot as too hostile and invaded. Trained by the Vietcong and experienced by the Vietnam War, they easily overwhelmed the young, violently insane Khmer Rouge soldiers in combination with the Cambodian Genocide sending the nation into chaos. In only two weeks, the Khmer Rouge was removed from power and Pol Pot continued to fight with guerrilla tactics until his own soldiers betrayed and arrested him. *Pol Pot technically should have been executed for breaking his own laws that were punishable by death. He was Chinese-Khmer (citizens who were not fully Khmer were executed), was from the middle/upper class (upper class and those with money were executed), went to college (the educated were executed), and was once learning to be a Buddhist monk (those who worshiped a religion were executed). *To this day, some suspect that Pol Pot's death was actually the result of poisoning by the Khmer Rouge holding him captive up to his death or that he poisoned himself rather than face trial. His body was cremated quickly after his death in spite of requests from the government to inspect it, so no autopsy was ever performed. *The episode mentions that it was going to overview Pol Pot's siege of Phnom Penh, but the scene wasn't shown or was cut. *Pol Pot was so paranoid that he accused and executed thousands of civilians for being suspected of being part of the CIA, KGB or both (despite the fact that CIA and KGB were enemies of each other). *The journalists Elizabeth Becker and Malcolm Caldwell, who openly supported the Khmer Rouge, interviewed Pol Pot in 1978. Shortly after the interview they were threatened by the Khmer Rouge and Malcolm Caldwell was murdered the next day. *Fried Spiders are a popular delicacy in Cambodia. It is believed that the food originated from the famines created by the Khmer Rouge regime, as the famine was so intense that people were willing to eat spiders. *Khmer Rouge prisons did contain food and medical equipment for their prisoners; however this was intentionally to prolong suffering. Guards would make sure prisoners did not commit suicide within the cells. The Khmer Rouge would torture their inmates endlessly until they made a forced confession for crimes they didn't commit: legally allowing the Khmer Rouge to execute the prisoner. *Security Prison 21 (now the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum) was one of the most infamous prisons of the regime. It was a former high school converted into a prison, as the Khmer Rouge despised the modern design of the school. The prison had between 17,000 to over 20,000 prisoners throughout its history under the regime. Only 7 confirmed inmates survived when the Vietnamse Army occupied the prison. These 7 inmates survived the prison by performing certain skilled tasks to entertain or assist the guards; including an engineer, a propaganda artist, and a musician. *The Khmer Rouge banned anyone from visiting the ancient temple of Angkor Wat. They enforced this ban by surrounding the temple with landmines. *The Khmer Rouge actually used every weapon that Saddam Hussein used on Deadliest Warrior. However the weapons chosen for Pol Pot were more common since the nearby Vietnam War used many older weapons and buying the newer weapons at a significant amount would cost too much for the poor nation of Cambodia. Category:Named Warriors Category:Modern Warriors Category:Criminal Warriors Category:Communist Warriors Category:Political Leaders Category:Defeated Warriors Category:Season 3 Category:Warriors Category:Guerrillas Category:Asian Warriors Category:Modern Asian Warriors Category:Enemies of the USA Category:Enemies of NATO